Meta-Web

ABSTRACT

In a preferred embodiment, the invention dynamically generates content and presentation to a user by modifying conventional content, e.g. rendering, restructuring, filtering, or supplementing such content, based on information, e.g. annotations, stored in a database. The invention, referred to as the Meta-Web, allows a user at a Web browser, which may be any standard Web browser supported by a standard computing platform, to posit a query which is routed to a Meta-Web server. The Meta-Web server returns search results to the Web browser and the user may then explore the results, for example by clicking on a URL in the search results. The results returned to the user are produced after the Meta-Web server forwards the query to a search engine. The search engine then returns the results to the Meta-Web server. Unique to the invention is the provision of a registry  14  which also receives search results and/or other information from the Meta-Web server, and that accumulates knowledge, meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of such knowledge, and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations that accumulate over time, where the annotations include any of, but are not limited to, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions, certifications of veracity of said knowledge, commentary by users, and connections between the knowledge and other units of knowledge. The Meta-Web server either combines both the search results and information from the registry, or operates upon the search results in accordance with information contained in the registry. The search results are augmented or modified by the registry under control of the Meta-Web server, which then builds a results page. The results pages is then forwarded to the user&#39;s Web browser.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/474,155, filed 10 Apr. 2002 (Attorney Docket No.APPL0007) entitled “Knowledge Web”, and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/433,050, filed 13 Dec. 2002(Attorney Docket No. APPL0030PR) entitled “Automated PurchasingSystem/Multi-Player Game Hub With Voting Scheme”, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Serial No. not yet assigned, filed 12 Dec. 2003,(Attorney Docket No. APPL007CI2PR) entitled “Reputation System”, all ofwhich are incorporated herein in their entirety by this referencethereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Technical Field

[0003] The invention relates to knowledge. More particularly, theinvention relates to a system for organizing knowledge in such a waythat users can find it, learn from it, and add to it as needed.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] There is widespread agreement that the amount of knowledge in theworld is growing so fast that even experts have trouble keeping up.Today not even the most highly trained professionals—in areas as diverseas science, medicine, law, and engineering—can hope to have more than ageneral overview of what is known. They spend a large percentage oftheir time keeping up on the latest information, and often specialize inhighly narrow sub-fields because they find it impossible to keep trackof broader developments.

[0006] Education traditionally meant the acquisition of the knowledgepeople needed for their working lives. Today, however, a collegeeducation can only provide an overview of knowledge in a specializedarea, and a set of skills for learning new things as the need arises.Professionals need new tools that allow them to access new knowledge asthey need it.

[0007] The World Wide Web

[0008] In spite of this explosion of knowledge, mechanisms fordistributing it have remained pretty much the same for centuries:personal communication, schools, journals, and books. The World Wide Webis the one major new element in the landscape. It has fundamentallychanged how knowledge is shared, and has given us a hint of what ispossible. Its most important attribute is that it is accessible—it hasmade it possible for people to not only learn from materials that havenow been made available to them, but also to easily contribute to theknowledge of the world in their turn. As a result, the Web's chieffeature now is people exuberantly sharing their knowledge.

[0009] The Web also affords a new form of communication. Those who grewup with hypertext, or have otherwise become accustomed to it, find thelinear arrangement of textbooks and articles confining and inconvenient.In this respect, the Web is clearly better than conventional text.

[0010] The Web, however, is lacking in many respects.

[0011] It has no mechanism for the vetting of knowledge. There is a lotof information on the Web, but very little guidance as to what is usefulor even correct.

[0012] There are no good mechanisms for organizing the knowledge in amanner that helps users find the right information for them at any time.Access to the (often inconsistent or incorrect) knowledge on the Webthus is often through search engines, which are all fundamentally basedon key word or vocabulary techniques. The documents found by a searchengine are likely to be irrelevant, redundant, and often just plainwrong.

[0013] The Web knows very little about the user (except maybe a creditcard number). It has no model of how the user learns, or what he doesand does not know—or, for that matter, what it does and does not know.

[0014] A Comparison of Knowledge Sources

[0015] There are several aspects to how learners obtain knowledge—theymight look at how authoritative the source is, for example, or howrecent the information is, or they might want the ability to ask theauthor a question or to post a comment. Those with knowledge to sharemight prefer a simple way to publish that knowledge, or they might seekout a well-known publisher to maintain their authority.

[0016] While books and journals offer the authority that comes witheditors and reviewers, as well as the permanence of a durable product,the Web and newsgroups provide immediacy and currency, as well as theability to publish without the bother of an editorial process. Table “A”is a summary of the affordances of various forms of publishing. TABL AAffordances of Various Forms of Publishing News Text The Web GroupsBooks Journals Peer-to-Peer Yes Yes No Limited publishing Supports YesLimited No Limited linking Ability to add No Yes No No annotationsVetting and No Limited Yes Yes certification Supports Limited No Yes Yespayment model Supports Limited No Yes No guided learning

[0017] Corporate and Government Needs

[0018] For institutions, corporations, and governments, failure to keeptrack of knowledge has consequences that are quite different from thosefor an individual. Often, institutions make a bad decision due to lackof knowledge on the part of those at the right place and at the righttime, even though someone else within the institution may actually holdthe relevant knowledge.

[0019] Similarly, within a corporation, the process of filtering andabstracting knowledge as it moves through the hierarchy often leaves thedecision-maker (whether the CEO, the design engineer, or the corporatelawyer) in a position of deciding without the benefit of the bestinformation. The institutional problem is made worse by the problem ofhigher employee turnover in the more fluid job market, so that thetraditional depository of knowledge—long-standing employees—is beginningto evaporate, just as the amount of knowledge that needs to be kepttrack of is exploding.

[0020] The consequences of not having the right knowledge at the rightplace and time can be very severe: doctors prescribing treatments thatare sub-optimal, engineers designing products without the benefit of thelatest technical ideas, business executives making incorrect strategicdecisions, lawyers making decisions without knowledge of relevantprecedents or laws, and scientists working diligently to rediscoverthings that are already known—all these carry tremendous costs tosociety.

[0021] The invention addresses the problem of providing a system thathas a very large, e.g. multi-petabyte, database of knowledge to a verylarge number of diverse users, which include both human beings andautomated processes. There are many aspects of this problem that aresignificant challenges. Managing a very large database is one of them.Connecting related data objects is another. Providing a mechanism forcreating and retrieving metadata about a data object is a third.

[0022] In the past, various approaches have been used to solve differentparts of this problem. The World Wide Web, for example, is an attempt toprovide a very large database to a very large number of users. However,it fails to provide reliability or data security, and provides only alimited amount of metadata, and only in some cases. Large relationaldatabase systems tackle the problem of reliability and security verywell, but are lacking in the ability to support diverse data and diverseusers, as well as in metadata support.

[0023] The ideal system should permit the diverse databases that existtoday to continue to function, while supporting the development of newdata. It should permit a large, diverse set of users to access thisdata, and to annotate it and otherwise add to it through various typesof metadata. Users should be able to obtain a view of the data that iscomplete, comprehensive, valid, and enhanced based on the metadata.

[0024] The system should support data integrity, redundancy,availability, scalability, ease of use, personalization, feedback,controlled access, and multiple data formats. The system mustaccommodate diverse data and diverse metadata, in addition to diverseuser types. The access control system must be sufficiently flexible togive different users access to different portions of the database, withdistributed management of the access control. Flexible administrationmust allow portions of the database to be maintained independently, andmust allow for new features to be added to the system as it grows.

[0025] It would be advantageous to provide a system to organizeknowledge in such a way that users can find it, learn from it, and addto it as needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the invention dynamically generatescontent and presentation to a user by modifying conventional content,e.g. rendering, restructuring, filtering, or supplementing such content,based on information, e.g. annotations, stored in a database. Theinvention, referred to as the Meta-Web, allows a user at a Web browser,which may be any standard Web browser supported by a standard computingplatform, to posit a query which is routed to a Meta-Web server. TheMeta-Web server returns a search results page to the Web browser and theuser may then explore the results, for example by clicking on a URLwithin the search results page. The results returned to the user areproduced after the Meta-Web server forwards the query to a searchengine. The search engine then returns the results to the Meta-Webserver. Unique to the invention is the provision of a registry thatprovides information to the Meta-Web server relevant to the searchresults. The registry also receives search results and/or otherinformation from the Meta-Web server, and accumulates knowledge,meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of such knowledge,and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations thataccumulate over time, where the annotations include any of, but are notlimited to, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions,certifications of veracity of said knowledge, commentary by users, andconnections between the knowledge and other units of knowledge. Tocreate the search results page, the Meta-Web server either combines boththe search results and information from the registry, or operates uponthe search results in accordance with information contained in theregistry. The search results are augmented or modified by the registryunder control of the Meta-Web server, which then builds a results page.The results page is then forwarded to the user's Web browser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027]FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram showing the architecture ofthe Meta-Web facility according to the invention;

[0028]FIG. 2 is a display showing a subject field which includes aportion into which the user may enter a search query according to theinvention;

[0029]FIG. 3 is a display showing the results provided to the user inresponse to the query of FIG. 2 according to the invention;

[0030]FIG. 4 is a display showing a pop-up window which providesinformation regarding the relevancy to the user of the search results ofFIG. 3 according to the invention;

[0031]FIG. 5 is a display showing a pop-up window which shows relevancyof the search results by indicating that the search results includesomething of personal interest to the user according to the invention;

[0032]FIG. 6 is a display in which the user has selected one of thesearch results from the list of results of FIG. 3 according to theinvention;

[0033]FIG. 7 is a display showing a pop-up window that provides answersto Frequently Asked Questions according to the invention;

[0034]FIG. 8 is a display showing the user has selected the relateditems button for the portion of text that is highlighted by the useraccording to the invention;

[0035]FIG. 9 is a display showing the user selecting only the documentsin the related items and info window according to the invention;

[0036]FIG. 10 is a display showing the selected document displayed withits own annotations according to the invention;

[0037]FIG. 11 is a display showing a pop-up window that providesinformation of interest to the user according to the invention;

[0038]FIG. 12 is a display showing a comment window according to theinvention;

[0039]FIG. 13 is a display showing a pop-up window that allows the userto look at information that has been obtained from diverse sources abouta product according to the invention;

[0040]FIG. 14 is a display that shows that the user has selected arelated items icon according to the invention;

[0041]FIG. 15 is a display that shows a Meta-Web object according to theinvention;

[0042]FIG. 16 is a display that shows a “change my window” button thatallows the user to change the appearance of the information according tothe invention;

[0043]FIG. 17 is a display that shows a manufacturer's specificationsheet which is displayed when the user selects a manufacturerspecifications sheet button according to the invention;

[0044]FIG. 18 is a display which shows that the user has selected thebuy button and can enter a personalized purchase transaction to bringthe user to a preferred vendor according to the invention;

[0045]FIG. 19 is a display which shows an information-seeking problemwhere the user is looking to find information about a more complexproduct or service according to the invention;

[0046]FIG. 20 is a display which is similar to that shown in FIG. 3,except that in this case the results relate to the user's query withregard to relevance to the user according to the invention;

[0047]FIG. 21 is a display which shows the user choosing the firstdocument in the results set according to the invention;

[0048]FIG. 22 is a display which shows an article selected by the userfrom a list of results according to the invention;

[0049]FIG. 23 is a display which shows the selected document, where theuser is not interested in the result according to the invention;

[0050]FIG. 24 is a display which shows the user selects a first documentaccording to the invention;

[0051]FIG. 25 is a display which shows the selected document displayedaccording to the invention;

[0052]FIG. 26 is a display which shows the user has scrolled to the endof the selected document according to the invention;

[0053]FIG. 27 is a display which shows the user selecting the commentbutton according to the invention;

[0054]FIG. 28 is a display which shows a pop-up window that is spawnedto ask the user to select the text that would be associated with acomment according to the invention;

[0055]FIG. 29 is a display which shows the user selecting text accordingto the invention;

[0056]FIG. 30 is a display which shows the user entering a commentaccording to the invention;

[0057]FIG. 31 is a display which shows the user submitting a comment tothe Meta-Web server by selecting a submit button according to theinvention;

[0058]FIG. 32 is a display which shows the comment icon highlighted toshow that there is a comment of personal interest to the user accordingto the invention;

[0059]FIG. 33 is a display which shows the user is about ask to aquestion related to the document according to the invention;

[0060]FIG. 34 is a display which shows the user is informed that thequestion with be forwarded to the author according to the invention;

[0061]FIG. 35 is a display which shows a user selecting the ask button,where the Meta-Web server spawns an ask window into which the user mayenter a question according to the invention;

[0062]FIG. 36 is a display which shows the user selecting the buy buttonaccording to the invention;

[0063]FIG. 37 is a display which shows the user selecting another buybutton according to the invention;

[0064]FIG. 38 is a display which shows a list of vendors according tothe invention;

[0065]FIG. 39 is a display which shows that some icons appear darkerwhile others appear lighter according to the invention;

[0066]FIG. 40 is a display which shows the user selecting the personalinterest icon according to the invention;

[0067]FIG. 41 is a display which shows a list of vendors, withindication that several of the vendors have associated web sitesaccording to the invention; and

[0068]FIG. 42 is a display which shows the vendor's Web site accordingto the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0069]FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram showing the architecture ofthe Meta-Web facility disclosed herein. In operation, a user at a Webbrowser 10, which may be any standard Web browser supported by astandard computing platform, posits a query (1000) that is routed to aMeta-Web server 16. The Meta-Web server returns a search results page(1002) to the Web browser and the user may then explore the results, forexample by clicking on a URL within the search results page (1004).

[0070] The search results page returned to the user is produced afterthe Meta-Web server forwards the query (1006) to a search engine 12. Thesearch engine then returns the results (1008) to the Meta-Web server.

[0071] Unique to the invention is the provision of a registry 14 whichalso receives search results (1010), annotations (1012), and/or otherinformation from the Meta-Web server, and that accumulates knowledge,meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of such knowledge,and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations thataccumulate over time, where the annotations include any of, but are notlimited to, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions,certifications of veracity of said knowledge, reputation (which may bebased on a formal reputation system), commentary by users, andconnections between the knowledge and other units of knowledge. Suchconnections comprise typed links between registry objects, where suchlinks may comprise, for example, relationships, such as a person's rolein an organization or a place where a person lives, and such objects maycomprise, for example, representations of products, people, places,categories, events, organizations, roles, documents, portions ofdocuments, certifications, ratings, dates, and times.

[0072] To create the search results page, the Meta-Web server eithercombines both the search results and information from the registry, oroperates upon the search results in accordance with informationcontained in the registry. The search results are augmented or modifiedby the registry under control of the Meta-Web server, which then buildsa results page. The results page is then forwarded to the user's Webbrowser. Likewise, an annotated page (1014) may be sent from theMeta-Web server to the user's browser, as discussed below.

[0073] Accordingly, the presently preferred embodiment of the inventioncomprises four elements, i.e. a standard Web browser and a standardsearch engine, which are well known to those skilled in the art, and theregistry and Meta-Web server. The registry associates metadata withobjects, while the Meta-Web server creates Web pages dynamically, whichare then sent to the user's Web browser for viewing by the user. While aWeb browser is described herein in connection with the presentlypreferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatother access facilities may be used to practice the invention. As well,the search engine may comprise any type of data access facility. Key tothe invention is the provision of the Meta-Web server and registry.Further, while the Meta-Web server and registry are discussed herein asseparate elements, their functionality may be combined into a singleelement. Likewise, their functionality may be dispersed broadly acrossseveral elements. For example, a knowledge base comprising knowledge,meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of said knowledge,and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations thataccumulate over time, the annotations including any of, but not limitedto, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions,certifications of veracity of said knowledge, commentary by users, andconnections between said knowledge and other units of knowledge maycomprise an element of the invention, see U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/474,155, filed 10 Apr. 2002.

[0074] The Meta-Web server as presently embodied creates two types ofWeb pages, both of which are described in the discussion below and inthe Figures accompanying that discussion. One of the Web pages is a Webpage that consists of search results with annotations. The other type ofWeb page is a Web page that consists of a content page with anannotation tool, such as an annotation bar at the side of the resultspage. In the preferred embodiment, the annotation bar is incorporatedinto a standard Web browser, but in other embodiments it may be part ofa separate Meta-Web application which runs on the user's computer, or itmay be an element that is spawned by operation of the user's Webbrowser, such as a Java applet or JavaScript.

[0075] Content displayed to the user is dynamically extracted from theregistry by the Meta-Web server. Known techniques for displaying thisinformation include framing, HTML, cascading style sheets, and the like.As discussed in detail below, the architecture herein disclosed providesannotations, search results, and other information in a standard Webbrowser, as well as a suite of tools for interacting therewith.

[0076] The Meta-Web server constructs a search query page which includesa field into which a user can enter one or more search terms. Standardsearching techniques, such as Boolean operations, are supported. Thequery page is delivered to the user's Web browser as a search form. Thesearch form may resemble well known search forms, such as those providedby Google® or it may be presented in any other appropriate format.

[0077] When the user enters a query into the search form, the query isforwarded to the search engine by the Meta-Web server. In the preferredembodiment, a user query is processed by the Meta-Web server. Thus, aWeb page is constructed by the Meta-Web Server in response to the querywhen a query is directed to the Meta-Web server from the user via theuser's Web browser. Rather than providing results from the search enginedirectly to the user, the Meta-Web server examines the search resultsand then performs a look-up in the registry to determine if there areannotations or other information associated with the search results thatmight be used, for example, to order the results in terms of relevanceor other orderings. Likewise, the Meta-Web server may consult theregistry prior to positing the query to the search engine. The Meta-Webserver may then modify the query or search space and, thereafter, submitthe query to the search engine.

[0078] Any annotations or other metadata found in the registry may beadded to the search results. The Meta-Web server then dynamicallyconstructs a presentation for the user which is returned to the user.The form of the presentation may be controlled by a preference set bythe user in the user's Web browser, based upon a user profile stored inthe registry, or any combination thereof.

[0079] Metadata may be used by the Meta-Web server to check a query termin the registry and determine if there is a prepared way of presentingthe data in connection with the term. For example, if there is a commonterm, it may be determined that the registry has a standard presentationor query results for that term, and that that presentation is preferredover other presentations. Thus, as an alternative to dynamic assembly ofthe Web page, the registry may provide the Meta-Web server with apreformed response for the query.

[0080] One embodiment of the invention provides a relevance button thatmay be displayed to the user to create a display item which explains therelevance of a term.

[0081] In another embodiment, the user may select an item and instead ofreturning the Web page to the user, that aspect of the search would beframed in the Web page with an annotation bar as discussed above. Thus,the Meta-Web server adds the annotation bar to the Web page to providethe user with the ability not only to comment on relevance or usabilityof the search result, but to add annotations as desired. Suchannotations are then stored in the registry for further use. Theannotations are thereafter linked to that user's search space so thatfurther queries by the user bring up the annotations. Further, theannotations may be linked for all uses of that term so that queries byother individuals also produce the annotations entered by the userthrough the annotation bar. In this way, a community of annotations isassembled which is associated with a particular query term or searchresult. These aspects of the invention are discussed in greater detailbelow.

[0082] Thus, the presently preferred embodiment of the inventionprovides selected content within a frame and provides additional framesfor annotations, as well as a tool bar for entering and editingannotations. The Meta-Web server dynamically creates the frame for thispage and collects the content and annotations to create the completepage. In another embodiment, HTML or XML may be used to accomplish asimilar purpose. Additionally, the Meta-Web server may incorporateactive components, such as JavaScript or Java applets to provideadditional functionality to the user during the annotation process, andmay also employ cascading style sheets.

[0083] If the content selected by a user relates to a product, i.e. theURL selected by the user leads to a product node, then the Meta-Webserver can perform an independent search to collect data with regard tothat particular product and dynamically create a Web page for the userthat includes information collected in real time. Alternatively, theadditional information may be associated with the product in theregistry and the Meta-Web server associates the registry informationwith the product.

[0084] Various schemes are envisioned by which the registry, underdirection of the Meta-Web server, may be independently updated torefresh or enhance this information. For example, a particular productmay be the subject of additional independent searching under control ofthe Meta-Web server when a certain number of requests are made for aparticular product, or when a particular interval has elapsed since thelast query concerning the product. Further, independent events, such asdiscontinuation of a product, may trigger Meta-Web server activities.

[0085] The Meta-Web server may identify products within a Web pageprovided to a user as a result of a user's request for content. Thus,the Meta-Web server identifies product terms or other terms in a page ofcontent, for example by highlighting or underlining, indicating thatadditional information is available to the user for those products orterms. For example, the user may be performing a search for a particularclass of products and within the content a particular product ismentioned. If that product is highlighted, then the user is made awarethat the Meta-Web server has identified related information in theregistry. The user may then select that highlighted term and theinformation in the registry is then provided to the user.

[0086] For example, if the name of a product is identified, a productnode may be selected and annotations associated with it may be providedto the user. Further, the Meta-Web server may provide a filter for thoseannotations to determine which annotations are of interest to the user,depending on the user profile or user preferences. These annotations caninclude offers by various merchants to sell the product and otherinformation that may be of interest in connection with the product.

[0087] In the event of a filter being applied, the filter may be basedon a user profile that may be stored in one of several places. Forexample, a Web site visited by the user could store a cookie related tothe user. In this case, the user could automatically be logged in to theMeta-Web server or at a site being visited, all as a result of a cookie.The Meta-Web server could also keep a profile of the user in a separatedatabase or it could use the registry database. The profile itself maycomprise, for example, trusted reputation systems (see, for example,U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled “Reputation System,”Attorney Docket No. APPL007CI2PR, filed Dec. 12, 2003, serial number notyet assigned), preferred vendors and areas of specific user competence,interest, or understanding.

[0088] In FIG. 2, a subject field 20 is provided which includes aportion into which the user may enter a search query. When the user hasfinished composing the query, the user may select the find button 22,and the query is then passed to the Meta-Web server where it isexecuted.

[0089] The invention, also includes an annotation bar 21, as discussedabove, which is dynamically added to any content, such as searchresults, that is served to the user by the Meta-Web server. Theannotation bar may include user-actuated buttons which provide suchfunctions as allowing the user to comment 24, ask questions 26, indicatethat the information is relevant 27, or indicate that the information isnot relevant 28. Such buttons may be, for example, special local toolsembedded in a browser or part of a separate local tool application, or,they may be incorporated into a modified results page.

[0090] The invention is envisioned as having many applications. Oneapplication of the invention concerns a product purchase, where the useris looking to buy a product on-line after getting information about it.In this example, the user types in a search expression in the subjectfield 20. In the example of FIG. 2, the user is looking for informationon a flat screen TV.

[0091]FIG. 3 is a screen shot showing the results provided to the userin response to the query for a flat screen TV. The results are sorted ina way that is personalized for the user. Thus, various icons may beprovided near the results. As shown in FIG. 3, the entry “TelevisionShopping Review/Video/TV & HDTV” is accompanied by an icon 31 thatappears in FIG. 3 to be darker, while the entry “Net-TV vs. SonyPanasonic digital flat screen TV's pure plasma” is accompanied by anicon 32 that appears to be lighter. The significance of the variousicons is discussed below. If the user selects the darker icon 31, then apop-up window 40 provides information regarding the relevancy to theuser of the search result, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 5, if the lighter icon is selected, then apop-up window 50 also shows relevancy of the search result, but thelighter color indicates that the search results include something ofpersonal interest to the user, such as an endorsement by a personalfriend. This can be seen in the pop-up window 50 where it is indicatedthat the document was recommended because “Stewart Brand likes it.” Inthis example, Stewart Brand is a friend of the user. The assembly of theinformation into this format is performed by the Meta-Web server basedupon the combining of information contained in the registry and thesearch results, as described above.

[0093] While the examples herein show icons which indicate relevancy byhaving lighter or darker intensity, the context of indication providedby the icons and the constituency of the icons is a matter of choice forthose skilled in the art. Thus, the icons may flash, may be of differentcolors, may of different shapes, and the like. Further, a user may bealerted by device other than icons, such as audible beeps, and the like.

[0094]FIG. 6 is a screen shot in which the user has selected one of thesearch results 60 from the list of results 30, see FIG. 3. Various grayicons 61 are shown at the right hand side of the display. The uppericons refer to the entire document and include relevancy 62, information63, and buy 64. The bottom icons relate to a portion of the document,for example a user highlighted portion of the document, and include theavailability of FAQs 65, additional information 66, and an option to buy67 the product.

[0095] In FIG. 7, the user has selected the FAQs button 65 and a pop-upwindow 70 provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQsassociated with the document concern that part of the document which ishighlighted by the user 71. Thus, the invention contemplates that theuser can select portions of documents, which are then used by theMeta-Web server to identify annotations in the registry and dynamicallygenerate FAQs relating thereto. Highlighting may also be accomplishedautomatically by the Meta-Web server, for example, in response to a userquery, where the query terms are used to highlight relevant portion of adocument.

[0096] In FIG. 8, the user has selected the related items button 66 forthe portion of text 80 that is highlighted by the user. As a result, apop-up window 81 provides related items and information for thehighlighted text. As above, this information is assembled dynamically bythe Meta-Web server in connection with the registry.

[0097] In FIG. 9, the user selects only the documents 91 in the relateditems and info window 81.

[0098] In FIG. 10, selected document 100 is displayed with its ownannotations. Each document has a unique set of annotations. In theexample of FIG. 10, the relevancy icon 62 is illuminated to indicatethat there is a comment of personal value or interest to the user.

[0099] In FIG. 11, the user has selected the relevancy icon 62 and apop-up window 110 provides the information of interest to the user. Inthis case, a window “about this document” is spawned that providesvarious data gathered from diverse sources that are relevant to theuser.

[0100] In FIG. 12, the user has highlighted the product “PanasonicPT-45LC12,” as shown by the box 157 which surrounds the product name.The user has also selected a comment icon 120 which spawns a commentwindow 121 for the selected product. In this case, a message from apersonal friend is displayed. The comment is associated with a productname. Note that the friend in this case has annotated the product butnot the particular document that the user is currently viewing. Here,the Meta-Web server has linked Stewart Brand's comment about the productto the product itself, and it has linked the product to the document, aswell as to Stewart Brand and to the current user, to display theannotation shown. Thus, various connections have been formed by theMeta-Web server based on the personal information of the user and otherinformation, all of which reside in the registry or within the realm ofresources available to the Meta-Web server.

[0101] In FIG. 13, the user has selected an information icon 130 whichspawns a pop-up window 131 that allows the user to look at informationabout the product that has been obtained from diverse sources.

[0102] In FIG. 14, the user has selected a related items icon 66. TheMeta-Web server then spawns a related items window 140 in which the userfinds a product node for the user highlighted product, as discussedabove. The product node is an abstract Meta-Web object that isconstructed by the Meta-Web out of all the information relating to theproduct. In this case, the node is a ranked list of information.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 15, the user selects the item <Product Node:Panasonic PT-45LC12> 156 from the related items window.

[0104]FIG. 16 is a display that shows a Meta-Web object 150 which is arepresentation of a product node that is dynamically created by theMeta-Web to group together all the information relating to a product. Inthe example of FIG. 15, the user interface had been tailored for aparticular user through user profile and preference information. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that any of standard and personalformats may be provided for the display. In the example of FIG. 16, a“change my window” button 151 is provided to allow the user to changethe appearance of the information. By selecting the “change my window”button the user's “my window” presentation 152 may be changed.

[0105] If the user selects the manufacturer specifications sheet button153, the manufacturer's specification sheet 162 is displayed (see FIG.17). The annotations discussed above are associated with themanufacturers specifications sheet as well.

[0106] In FIG. 18, the user has selected the buy button 64 and can enterinto a personalized purchase transaction to bring the user to apreferred vendor or list of vendors. In various embodiments in theinvention, the user's wallet or other personal information may be linkedto the Meta-Web server such that the user's purchase transaction mayproceed in an automated fashion.

[0107] A further example of the invention is concerned with aninformation-seeking problem where the user is looking to findinformation about a more complex product or service. In this example(see FIG. 19) the user is interested in LASIK eye surgery and entersthat term into the search field 20.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 20, a screen similar to that shown in FIG. 3,described above, is assembled by the Meta-Web server and returned to theuser, except in this case the results 190 relate to the user's querywith regard to LASIK and the results have been ordered with regard torelevance to the user.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 21, the user chooses the first document 200 inthe results set. The selected document 210, see FIG. 22, turns out to bea technical paper on eye surgery, but the user is not interested in thisresult. Rather than go back to the results screen, the user selects the“Don't like it” button 28, see FIG. 23. This action updates the user'sprofile via the Meta-Web server and takes the user back to the resultsscreen, see FIG. 24. The Meta-Web server has used the updated userprofile in this case to re-write the result list 198. Accordingly, theuser now sees a different results screen with documents that are morelikely to be useful. The user selects the first document 230 (FIG. 25).The selected document 240 (see FIG. 26) is displayed. Note that thereare annotations available for the document as indicated by the icons atthe right side of the document.

[0110] As shown on FIG. 27, the user has scrolled to the end 250, of theselected document 240. The user selects the comment button 24 (FIG. 28).This allows the user to add a comment to the document. A pop-up window(FIG. 29) is spawned to ask the user to select the text which comprisesan excerpt of the document that is to be associated with his comment. Asshown in FIG. 30, the user selects the text document indicated bydrawing a box 280 around the text. The user then enters his comment 290(FIG. 31). Next, the user submits his comment to the Meta-Web server byselecting a submit button 300 (FIG. 32) and the registry is updated toinclude the user comments. The comment icon 120 is now highlighted toshow that a comment of personal interest has been entered by the user(FIG. 33).

[0111] In FIG. 34, the user is about to ask a question related to thedocument. In this case, the user selects the ask button 26. The user isinformed that the question with be forwarded to the author 331 (FIG.35). Other documents may have different mechanisms for dealing withquestions, in addition to forwarding the question to the author.

[0112] By selecting the ask button 26, the Meta-Web server spawns an askwindow 330 into which the user may enter his question (FIG. 36). Theuser asks his question 340 and submits it the Meta-Web server byselecting the ask button 341.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 37, the user selects the buy button 64 and theRay-Ban Ad 350 on the left side of the display is highlighted. The useris not interested in sun glasses, so he makes another choice.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 38, the user selects another buy button 360 andthe word LASIK 361 in the text is highlighted. Because the user isinterested in LASIK, rather than Ray-Ban, the user selects the buybutton associated with LASIK. Thus, multiple instances of buy buttonsand other buttons may be presented to the user on the right hand side tohelp the user judge the relevancy of the particular portion of thedocument. The user's choice in selecting LASIK is recorded in theregistry by the Meta-Web server and this information may be used in thefuture to provide more relevant information to the user and/or to groupsof users.

[0115] As a result of selecting the buy button 360, the user ispresented with a list of vendors 370 (FIG. 39). The list of the vendorsis a results screen that is sorted in a personalized way. As with otherresult screens, the relevancy of the results are displayed by varioustypes of icons. In FIG. 39, some icons appear darker while others appearlighter.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 40, the user selects the personal interest icon380. In this example the Meta-Web server has brought together a numberof pieces of information to make its recommendation. As shown in therelevancy window 381, the vendor is “Maloney Vision Institute,” Dr.Maloney is associated with the vendor, Dr. Maloney is rated highly byDr. Szabo, and Dr. Szabo is rated highly by the user and his personalphysician. Also indicated is that the vendor is covered under the user'smedical insurance provider.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 41, the vendor has an associated Web site 390and the user selects the Web site. As a result, the vendor's Web site400 is displayed to the user, see FIG. 42.

[0118] Although the invention is described herein with reference to thepreferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat other applications may be substituted for those set forth hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the invention should only be limited by the claims includedbelow.

1. A knowledge apparatus, comprising: a Meta-Web server for receivingand processing requests presented by a user using a browser, and forassembling and forwarding responses to said requests to said browser; asearch engine for receiving said queries from said Meta-Web server andfor returning search results to said Meta-Web server; and a registry forreceiving said responses and/or other information from said Meta-Webserver, and for accumulating knowledge, meta-knowledge that was createdat a time of entry of said knowledge, and meta-knowledge in the form ofone or more annotations that accumulate over time, said annotationsincluding any of, but not limited to, usefulness of said knowledge,additional user opinions, certifications of veracity of said knowledge,reputation, commentary by users, and connections between said knowledgeand other units of knowledge; wherein said Meta-Web server eithercombines both said responses and information from said registry, oroperates upon said responses in accordance with information contained insaid registry; and wherein said responses are augmented or modified bysaid registry under control of said Meta-Web server.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: a set of user tools comprising one or moretools for entering said requests said knowledge, said meta-knowledge,and said one or more annotations into said registry via said Meta-Webserver; wherein said user tools comprise at least one of local toolswhich are any of browser-based tools or system/application-based tools,and embedded tools which accompany said results for users to said userby said Meta-Web server.
 3. A Meta-Web apparatus, comprising: a browser;a search engine; a registry for associating metadata with objects; and aMeta-Web server for creating result pages dynamically from searchresults returned by said search engine and said metadata, which resultpages are then sent to said browser for viewing by a user.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, said result pages comprising: Web pages thatcomprise search results with annotations.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3,said result pages comprising: Web pages that comprise a content pagewith an annotation tool.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein contentdisplayed to said user is dynamically extracted from said registry bysaid Meta-Web server.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said Meta-Webserver constructs a search query page which includes a field into whicha user can enter one or more search terms.
 8. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein said Meta-Web server examines said search results and thenperforms a look-up in said registry to determine if there is anannotation or other information associated with said search results forordering said search results in terms of relevance.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 3, further comprising: a relevance button that may be displayed tosaid user to create a display item which explains the relevance of aterm.
 10. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: means for saiduser to select an item to frame said item in a page for purposes of userannotation.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein annotations arelinked to a user's search space so that further queries by said userreturn said annotations.
 12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one ormore items selected by said user lead to a product node, wherein saidMeta-Web server performs an independent search to collect data withregard to a particular product, and wherein said Meta-Web serverdynamically creates a Web page for said user that comprises informationcollected in real time.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein saidinformation comprises: annotations comprising offers by one or moremerchants to sell said product and, optionally, other information ofinterest in connection with said product.
 14. The apparatus of claim 3,further comprising: a filter for said search results based on a userprofile, where said user profile comprises any of user performances anduser information, wherein said user information comprises any of trustedreputation systems, preferred vendors, and areas of user understanding,interest, or user competency.
 15. The apparatus of claim 3, furthercomprising: an annotation bar which is dynamically added to any contentthat is served to said user by said Meta-Web server; wherein saidannotation bar optionally comprises user-actuated buttons which providefunctions that allow said user to comment, ask questions, indicate thatinformation is relevant, or indicate that information is not relevant.16. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said search results are sorted ina way that is personalized for said user.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein said personalization comprises an endorsement by a personalfriend.
 18. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said user selects portionsof documents which are then used by said Meta-Web server to identifyannotations in said registry and dynamically generate informationrelating thereto.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: arelated items button for a portion of text that is highlighted by saiduser that provides related items and information for said highlightedtext.
 20. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one or more connections areformed by said Meta-Web server based on personal information of saiduser and other information, all of which reside in said registry orwithin a realm of resources available to said Meta-Web server.
 21. Theapparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a Meta-Web object whichrepresents a product node that is dynamically created by said Meta-Webto group together all information relating to a product.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a buy button with which a usercan enter into a personalized purchase transaction to bring said user toa preferred vendor or list of vendors.
 23. The apparatus of claim 3,further comprising: an action that updates a user's profile in saidMeta-Web server and that takes said user back to a results screen;wherein said Meta-Web server uses said updated user profile to re-writesaid search results.
 24. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: acomment button for allowing said user to add a comment to a document orportion of a document; wherein said user comment is added to saidregistry.
 25. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: means forasking a question related to a document.
 26. The apparatus of claim 22,further comprising: multiple instances of action buttons that arepresented to said user to help the user judge the relevancy of aparticular portion of a document.
 27. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinsaid registry establishes connections between said objects therein, saidconnections comprising typed lines between said registry objects, saidlinks optionally comprising relationships between said objects, saidobjects optionally comprising representation of any of products, people,places, categories, groups, organizations, roles, documents, portions ofdocuments, certifications, ratings, dates, and times.
 28. A knowledgemethod, comprising the steps of: at a Meta-Web server, receiving andprocessing requests presented by a user using a browser, and assemblingand forwarding responses to said requests to said browser; receivingsaid queries from said Meta-Web server and returning search results tosaid Meta-Web server; and at a registry, receiving said responses and/orother information from said Meta-Web server, and accumulating knowledge,meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of said knowledge,and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations thataccumulate over time, said annotations including any of, but not limitedto, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions,certifications of veracity of said knowledge, reputation, commentary byusers, and connections between said knowledge and other units ofknowledge; wherein said Meta-Web server either combines both saidresponses and information from said registry, or operates upon saidresponses in accordance with information contained in said registry; andwherein said responses are augmented or modified by said registry undercontrol of said Meta-Web server.
 29. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising the step of: providing a set of user tools comprising one ormore tools for entering said requests, said knowledge, saidmeta-knowledge, and said one or more annotations into said registry viasaid Meta-Web server; wherein said user tools comprise at least one oflocal tools which are any of browser-based tools orsystem/application-based tools, and embedded tools which accompany saidresults for users to said user by said Meta-Web server.
 30. A Meta-Webmethod, comprising the steps of: providing a browser; providing a searchengine; providing a registry for associating metadata with objects; andproviding a Meta-Web server for creating result pages dynamically fromsearch results returned by said search engine and said metadata, whichresult pages are then sent to said browser for viewing by a user. 31.The method of claim 30, said result pages comprising: Web pages thatcomprise search results with annotations.
 32. The method of claim 30,said result pages comprising: Web pages that comprise a content pagewith an annotation tool.
 33. The method of claim 30, wherein contentdisplayed to said user is dynamically extracted from said registry bysaid Meta-Web server.
 34. The method of claim 30, wherein said Meta-Webserver constructs a search query page which includes a field into whicha user can enter one or more search terms.
 35. The method of claim 30,wherein said Meta-Web server examines said search results and thenperforms a look-up in said registry to determine if there is anannotation or other information associated with said search results forordering said search results in terms of relevance.
 36. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising the step of: providing a relevance buttonthat may be displayed to said user to create a display item whichexplains the relevance of a term.
 37. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising the step of: said user selecting an item to frame said itemin a page for purposes of user annotation.
 38. The method of claim 37,wherein annotations are linked to a user's search space so that furtherqueries by said user return said annotations.
 39. The method of claim30, wherein one or more items selected by said user lead to a productnode, wherein said Meta-Web server performs an independent search tocollect data with regard to a particular product, and wherein saidMeta-Web server dynamically creates a Web page for said user thatcomprises information collected in real time.
 40. The method of claim39, wherein said information comprises: annotations comprising offers byone or more merchants to sell said product and, optionally, otherinformation of interest in connection with said product.
 41. The methodof claim 30, further comprising the step of: providing a filter for saidsearch results based on a user profile, where said user profilecomprises any of user performances and user information, wherein saiduser information comprises any of trusted reputation systems, preferredvendors, and areas of user understanding, interest, or user competency.42. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of: dynamicallyadding an annotation bar to any content that is served to said user bysaid Meta-Web server; wherein said annotation bar optionally comprisesuser-actuated buttons which provide functions that allow said user tocomment, ask questions, indicate that information is relevant, orindicate that information is not relevant.
 43. The method of claim 30,wherein said search results are sorted in a way that is personalized forsaid user.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein said personalizationcomprises an endorsement by a personal friend.
 45. The method of claim30, wherein said user selects portions of documents which are then usedby said Meta-Web server to identify annotations in said registry anddynamically generate information relating thereto.
 46. The method ofclaim 45, further comprising the step of: providing a related itemsbutton for a portion of text that is highlighted by said user thatprovides related items and information for said highlighted text. 47.The method of claim 30, wherein one or more connections are formed bysaid Meta-Web server based on personal information of said user andother information, all of which reside in said registry or within arealm of resources available to said Meta-Web server.
 48. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising the step of: providing a Meta-Web objectwhich represents a product node that is dynamically created by saidMeta-Web to group together all information relating to a product. 49.The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of: providing a buybutton with which a user can enter into a personalized purchasetransaction to bring said user to a preferred vendor or list of vendors.50. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of: providing anaction that updates a user's profile in said Meta-Web server and thattakes said user back to a results screen; wherein said Meta-Web serveruses said updated user profile to re-write said search results.
 51. Themethod of claim 30, further comprising the step of: providing a commentbutton for allowing said user to add a comment to a document or portionof a document; wherein said user comment is added to said registry. 52.The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of: providing meansfor asking a question related to a document.
 53. The method of claim 49,further comprising the step of: providing multiple instances of actionbuttons that are presented to said user to help the user judge therelevancy of a particular portion of a document.
 54. The method of claim30, wherein said registry establishes connections between said objectstherein, said connections comprising typed lines between said registryobjects, said links optionally comprising relationships between saidobjects, said objects optionally comprising representation of any ofproducts, people, places, categories, groups, organizations, roles,documents, portions of documents, certifications, ratings, dates, andtimes.